The Schwab Foundation Awards 2026 have recognised 21 social entrepreneurs and innovators for building practical solutions to some of the world’s biggest social challenges. For Africa, the recognition is more than a celebration. It is a signal that locally built ideas, led by African innovators and organisations working on the continent, are shaping global conversations on healthcare access, women’s empowerment, sustainability and inclusive economic growth.
The awardees are described as value-driven leaders who use transformative business, social development and environmental models to create a more equitable and sustainable world. In 2026, the Schwab Foundation’s spotlight stretches across sectors and geographies, from strengthening emergency medical services in Ethiopia, to building circular textile systems in Lebanon and tackling a shortage of STEM teachers in North America. But for African communities, the impact of this year’s awards is clearest in the work being done on the ground: saving lives, expanding dignity, supporting jobs and building systems that can last.
The awards were presented at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, where the 2026 awardees took the stage to present their work and be recognised in front of global leaders.
This year’s awards also connect to the Schwab Foundation’s wider picture of social innovation at scale. The Foundation’s 2026 awardees and impact report, Built to Last: Social Innovation in Transition, explores how social innovators are responding to global uncertainty with resilience, collaboration and new models for impact. It features the 2026 Awardees, “21 social entrepreneurs and innovators from 17 organisations, working across 190 countries on challenges including healthcare, education, climate action and democratic participation.” They are part of a global community of 510 social innovators whose work has improved over 950 million lives worldwide, mobilising close to $1 billion in the past year.
For Africa, the continent’s representation within this group reflects two realities: the scale of need remains high but so does the scale of invention. The African awardees and Africa-based organisations recognised in 2026 show what happens when social problems are treated not as dead ends but as design challenges that demand serious leadership.
Africa’s awardees show social innovation with real-world outcomes
Among the African innovators recognised, one of the clearest examples of direct, life-saving impact is Kibret Abebe, Founder and CEO of Tebita Ambulance Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical Service in Ethiopia. Kibret is a nurse anaesthetist by training and he founded Tebita Ambulance to address Ethiopia’s critical lack of emergency medical services. In a country where emergency response systems have historically been limited, his work focuses on building the missing middle between crisis and care.
Under his leadership, Tebita Ambulance has become a pioneer in emergency response, offering pre-hospital care, ambulance transport and first aid training. The organisation is not only responding to incidents but is helping to professionalise emergency medical services as a system. It has played “a vital role in building a professional emergency medical system in Ethiopia, saving lives and advocating for stronger health infrastructure.” In practical terms, the value of this work is measured in time, because in emergencies, minutes can decide outcomes.
From Nigeria, another recognised leader is Olivia Onyemaobi, Founder and CEO of Pad-Up Creations, a social enterprise producing sustainable, reusable sanitary pads. Her work targets a problem that affects education, economic participation and health outcomes for millions of girls and women: menstrual health and hygiene access. Pad-Up Creations has grown into one of the region’s most impactful women-led manufacturing enterprises, linking a human need to a scalable production model.
Under Olivia’s leadership, the enterprise has trained hundreds of thousands of girls and women on reproductive health, created more than 500 jobs and distributed over 18 million reusable pads across 21 countries. The scale matters here, not just for reach but for what it proves: that women-led African manufacturing can build solutions that travel across borders. Her work has earned recognition from the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Acumen and the Mandela Washington Fellowship. She holds an MSc in Business Management and is pursuing a PhD, adding academic depth to a business that is already measured by impact.
Africa’s representation at the Schwab Foundation Awards 2026 is not limited to grassroots enterprises. It also includes corporate leadership that shows how established businesses can embed sustainability into their core strategies. Karen Basiye, Director of Sustainable Business, Social Impact and Foundations at Safaricom, was recognised under the category of Corporate Social Innovators.
Safaricom is one of Kenya’s leading telecommunications companies and Karen’s role sits at the intersection of corporate responsibility and business direction. She oversees Safaricom’s corporate responsibility strategy, environmental management and the Safaricom and M-PESA Foundations. Her approach is described as integrating purpose and profit, ensuring that Safaricom’s operations drive social and environmental impact. In a region where telecom infrastructure shapes access to information, finance and services, this kind of leadership influences how business growth aligns with community outcomes. Her leadership has positioned the company as a sustainability pioneer in Africa’s private sector.
Recognition that strengthens systems, not just stories
The Schwab Foundation Awards also highlight collective and public sector leadership and Africa’s presence here reflects how system-level change often requires networks and policy action, not only enterprise solutions.
In the category of Collective Social Innovators, Emad Adly and Ghada Ahmadein were recognised for their work with the Arab Network for Environment and Development (RAED). Established in 1990, RAED is “a regional network of more than 275 civil society organizations from North Africa and West Asia.” Its mission sits at the heart of long-term sustainability: strengthening environmental governance and civil society capacity.
RAED’s role includes capacity-building, advocacy and partnerships, aimed at empowering civil society organisations to promote sustainable development, environmental protection and cooperation among key stakeholders across the Arab region. For Africa, particularly North Africa, this work matters because environmental pressure is no longer a distant threat. It is a daily economic and social reality, affecting water security, agriculture, migration and livelihoods.
In the category of Public Social Innovators, Mamadou Ndiaye from Senegal’s Ministry of Microfinance and Social and Solidarity Economy was recognised for his work in driving inclusive economic development through public policy and innovation.
Mamadou is Director of Cabinet at the ministry and his work focuses on building tools that support those often left outside formal systems. He has championed Islamic microfinance for youth and women entrepreneurs in rural areas and spearheaded a new digital platform to assist social and solidarity economy actors. Beyond national reforms, his leadership has reached continental scale. Mamadou “led negotiations for an Africa-wide SSE framework endorsed by Heads of State, including an African SSE Observatory for data collection and knowledge sharing.” He also played a pivotal role in adopting Senegal’s National SSE Strategy, providing legal recognition, tax incentives and funding access to cooperatives and social enterprises. In a business context, this kind of policy structure is not background work. It is the infrastructure that allows enterprises to survive, formalise and grow.
As the Schwab Foundation frames it, the 2026 awardees represent resilience in a period of global uncertainty and the message is captured in the words of Hilde Schwab, Co-Founder and Chairperson of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship:
“This year’s awardees highlight the extraordinary resilience and ingenuity at the heart of our social innovator and entrepreneur community. In the face of unprecedented disruption and uncertainty, these leaders have not only adapted their models but have deepened their commitment to lasting impact. Their achievements, alongside those of the wider community, demonstrate that purpose-driven innovation can truly transform societies and build a more inclusive, sustainable future for all. I am very proud of the role the Schwab Foundation plays in helping this remarkable community to thrive.”
